Congo: The Epic History of a People - Softcover

"A vivid panorama of one of the most tormented lands in the world... A valuable addition to the rich literature that Congo has inspired."--Washington Post

"Van Reybrouck's carefully researched and elegantly written book takes in the reader with compelling portraits of ordinary people that enrich what would otherwise be a fairly conventional historical narrative."--Foreign Affairs

"An unbelievable tour de force."--Humo

"An absolute masterpiece!"--VPRO Radio

"Breathtaking."--Trouw

"If you are looking to read one book on Congo this year, this is it. David Van Reybrouck combines deep historical investigation with extensive ethnography. The result is an illuminating narrative."--Mahmood Mamdani, Director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research and author of Good Muslim, Bad Muslim

"This is a magnificent account, intimately researched, and relevant for anyone interested in how the recent past may inform our near future... Van Reybrouck's bibliography alone is worth the cover price. But what distinguishes the book is its clearheadedness."--New York Times Book Review

"Van Reybrouck's extensive account reveals the depth and breadth of exploitation, particularly under Belgian colonial rule, and how Congo's story is one fraught with the toxic cycle of 'desire, frustration, revenge.'"--Publishers Weekly

"[A] detailed and well-researched biography, thoroughly rooted in the lived experience of the Congolese... It is clear that the author is not your typical historian dryly publishing his findings, but a literary artist with a pen almost as sharp as Lumumba's tongue."--ThinkAfricaPress.com

"a monumental history . . . more exciting than any novel."--NRC Handelsblad

Interweaving his own family's history with the voices of a diverse range of individuals, this searing examination of the world's most critical, failed nation-states brings to light some of the most dramatic episodes in Congolese history that have impinged its development. 25,000 first printing.